Should I pull out?

ragingrichard

Hello!

I'm a 35 y/o first time buyer, 5 months into buying my first house, a 2 bedroom 1930's property around 45 minutes from the Lake District, England. However, I'm currently facing a dilemma on whether to continue with the property purchase or not following a bad Level 2 Homebuyers Survey. The report detailed various issues, include 11 red flags, 10 orange, and only 1 green. The most notable ones include damp, an outdated and potentially dangerous electricity unit, no underfelt beneath the roof slates, no gas safety certificate, and more. 

There are many positive aspects about the house outside of the behind the scenes scares, including a very nice lawn garden, quiet road, a modern kitchen, nice decor, and what look like friendly and respectable neighbours. 

I've already spent quite a bit on the property purchase so far, such as a mortgage advisor, home buyers survey, accommodation, solicitor fees, and most recently a damp survey. The damp survey discovered rising damp and quoted £3300 for a damp proof course injection system. 

As well as the above, I'm also now questioning whether it would be more beneficial to have more of a digital nomad lifestyle, as I can effectively work from anywhere. However, that also has it's own question marks due to some health related issues and whether I would be happy to have no base, and lose the investment opportunity that comes with a house purchase.

The sellers estate agent has implied that the vendor is unlikely to budge on the property price.

I could go on with more details but think this is enough to explain the overall situation. So my question is, should I pull out? 

user1977

You will need to give more details, many survey "red flags" are just "bum-covering because I'm not a specialist or it's not in my remit".  e.g. there's always going to be "no gas safety certificate", the surveyor never sees one when they do the survey even if it exists. Doesn't mean there's a thing wrong with the gas, and there's no requirement for sellers to produce a certificate anyway.

Have you actually spoken to the surveyor? They're usually a bit more candid and you'll then get the impression of whether you really ought to run away or not.

infectedeggs

For what it is worth my home of 30 years - built in the 1930s - has no felt under the (original) slates either. It has never been an issue and I doubt it will be until I am long dead.

Many older properties have rising damp but the proofing for over £3000 is very expensive. I would get some more quotes if you decide to go ahead and buy.

The electricity will need looking at of course but a new fuse board can be bought for about £50 and an electrician will fit it for about the same.

I my view - which is worthless - the right "feeling" - means alot. Listen to your gut.

ragingrichard

infectedeggs said:

For what it is worth my home of 30 years - built in the 1930s - has no felt under the (original) slates either. It has never been an issue and I doubt it will be until I am long dead.

Many older properties have rising damp but the proofing for over £3000 is very expensive. I would get some more quotes if you decide to go ahead and buy.

The electricity will need looking at of course but a new fuse board can be bought for about £50 and an electrician will fit it for about the same.

I my view - which is worthless - the right "feeling" - means alot. Listen to your gut.

That does give me some encouragement regarding the lack of felting. To give you the full details on the damp quotation:

DPC Injection: Rising damp

1. Remove original skirting boards. 2. Remove existing wall plaster from floor to 1m high to front elevation wall of living room and rear wall in the kitchen/diner to approx. 6ms Dispose of debris. 3. Brush apply, HEY, DI anti sulphate diluted 1:1 with water and allow to soak into the brick. 4. Drill the internal and external walls to the required depth and spacing, install horizontal and vertical chemical damp proof course by low pressure injection to approx. 18 running metres. 5. Apply a render topcoat, with waterproof additives. 6. Apply a skim finish. 7. Re-fit original skirting boards, unless damaged.

Flu Damp/penetrating damp

 1. Knock off render back to brick to approx. 5ms in bedroom Dispose of all rubble. 2. Brush apply the anti-sulphate diluted 1:1 with water and allow to soak into the brick. 3. Apply a thin render coat, using SBR bonding agent. 4. Apply the tanking system to the render, using a brush. This will be applied twice. 5. Apply a top render coat. 6. Apply a skim finish.

Sorry, I forget to say it's also penetrating damp included in that price.  Do you still think it's overpriced, based on the new information above? 
 

Slinky

A 1930s house was always unlikely to be perfect unless it had been completely renovated recently. If all the other factors about position, neighbours etc tick the right boxes, the deficiencies can be sorted over time, if needed.  If you buy something else, it's going to have a different set of 'issues' unless you buy a newbuild (and even then you'll find that comes with snags needing fixing).

I would agree that speaking to the surveyor directly will tell you more that just what you're reading on paper.

ragingrichard

Thanks for the response. Yes I did speak to the surveyor and asked whether I should be asking for a reduction in the property price - they chuckled and said quite promptly "Yes". 

I can share some lines from the red flags:

E1 Roof structure

There is no felt to the underside of the slates/tiles. The risk of water ingress to the roof structure is

higher. Condition rating 3.

E3 Walls and partitions 

The ground floor walls were methodically inspected with a protimeter moisture meter, to detect the

presence of damp. High level readings of damp were recorded in the lounge and kitchen diner.

Damp was also observed and recorded to the landing window wall. Damp quotation: £3300

E4 Floors

It is strongly recommended that further intrusive inspection is carried out of the

subfloor timbers prior to commitment to purchase. If the ends of the joists bed into the walls and

have not been wrapped in a protective membrane (which is unlikely, unless the floors have been

re-laid in more recent years) and the walls are damp, moisture can be transferred from the walls

into the timbers which can lead to rot/decay.

E5 Fireplaces, chimney breasts and flues

You should ask your legal adviser to check whether the solid fuel burning appliance has been

safety checked and whether the flue/chimney has been swept within the last 12 months. If this has

not been done, you should ask a HETAS registered engineer to do this prior to purchase.

In the absence of a current test certificate, we must designate a level three risk. If certification is

available, please ask your legal advisor to check the validity of this evidence. Seller does not have certificate. 

E7 Woodwork (for example, staircase joinery)

Consumer board is fitted with cartridge fuses rather than circuit breakers. The system is dated and

needs upgrading. It is recommended that at any change of ownership the electrical wiring should

be checked by an NICEIC qualified electrician. Seller has agreed to replace power unit. 

F3 Water

The age of the property suggests that the supply pipe to the water may be of lead and if this is the

case then it should be replaced with modern copper or plastic piping. I (the buyer) used a lead water test kit and the result came back negative. 

F4 Heating

Central heating is provided by means of a Worcester gas fired boiler located in the kitchen serving

pressed steel panelled radiators within the property. The radiators did not have thermostatic control

valves. In the absence of a current test certificate, we must designate a level three risk. The seller has agreed to obtain a gas safety certificate. 

ragingrichard

infectedeggs said:

For what it is worth my home of 30 years - built in the 1930s - has no felt under the (original) slates either. It has never been an issue and I doubt it will be until I am long dead.

Many older properties have rising damp but the proofing for over £3000 is very expensive. I would get some more quotes if you decide to go ahead and buy.

The electricity will need looking at of course but a new fuse board can be bought for about £50 and an electrician will fit it for about the same.

I my view - which is worthless - the right "feeling" - means alot. Listen to your gut.

Thanks for the response. I've sent you a reply as a new comment. 

ragingrichard

Slinky said:

A 1930s house was always unlikely to be perfect unless it had been completely renovated recently. If all the other factors about position, neighbours etc tick the right boxes, the deficiencies can be sorted over time, if needed.  If you buy something else, it's going to have a different set of 'issues' unless you buy a newbuild (and even then you'll find that comes with snags needing fixing).

I would agree that speaking to the surveyor directly will tell you more that just what you're reading on paper.

Thanks. Yes, I've been thinking along these lines about there being another set of issues. 

babyblade41

Firstly rising damp is very rarely "rising damp" normally it's an ingress of water, find the source and cure the problem, probably an afternoons work 

Re: the roof, is it leaking ? 

Surveyors reports are bum covering exercises and again re: the electric report... surveyors aren't electricians, most houses have outdated electrics without any problems apart from very few sockets.
What did the consumer board look like? I doubt it is condemned , rather more on the "to do list" 

user1977

ragingrichard said:

I did speak to the surveyor and asked whether I should be asking for a reduction in the property price - they chuckled and said quite promptly "Yes". 

 

By how much? Did you get a valuation?

mark_cycling00

It's your first purchase so you're going to be anxious and easily worried.

People generally pull out of a purchase because the survey answers questions such as..

1. Why is this house so cheap?
2. Why did the previous people who made offers pull out?
3. Why doesn't the owner live there?
4. Why is someone selling after only a few years?

Things are never as bad as the survey sounds. 

Consider - have you been on holiday to the southwest or west Wales? Did you take your radon gas detector and open the windows every morning? Of course not, but most properties there would get scary radon gas warnings in the survey/conveyancing process.